The Hardest Test To Pass
by Van York
Summary: After an incident involving Alan, the Tracy family must come to together once more and reflect on the importance of family.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I got the idea this morning! And Of course, I had to put it into action. Oh and naturally this is a movie-version! Don't forget to review! (Reviews make it possible for me to put updates on my High-Priority List) **

**Oh, and I didn't have a BETA… unless you count spell-check?**

***Disclaimer: I do not own the Thunderbirds! If I did… then it'd be pretty pathetic for me to be posting my writings on FanFiction!* **

"Hey Tracy! Aren't you coming?" another Wharton's student, David, called from his red convertible. It was exam week and all Wharton's students were only in class for half the day, meaning they had free time until dinner. Most of the older guys, the ones with the licenses and cars, were just riding around town.

"Yeah! Hang on!" Alan Tracy called back, as he pulled down his beanie further down on his head. His ears were turning red from the cold. He turned to his best friend Fermat. "Hey, you sure you don't wanna come along? It'll be cool." Alan persuaded.

"Nah, I need to st-study for my AP Chemistry mid-term tomorrow mm-morning. Which reminds me, d-don't you have an En-English exam to-tomorrow?" Fermat replied, refusing to relent.

"_Leave it to Fermat to bring down the mood and remind me of school."_ Alan chuckled to himself.

"Fine, suit yourself, I mean I told you at the beginning of the year that that AP class would ruin your fun!" Fermat had been the only sophomore taking an Advanced Placement class, and it had been interfering all year with Alan's plans.

"_Seriously, Chemistry isn't even worth it!"_ After blowing up is last school's lab, chemistry was never the same to the young Tracy.

The two friends parted ways as Alan hopped into David's backseat, with another junior riding shotgun. Fermat headed back to the dorm room he shared with Alan, walking quickly to beat the falling snow.

"_What I wouldn't give to be back on the island today!"_ Fermat thought as he shivered slightly, once again thinking of the island's all-year-round sun and clear skies.

**-THUNDEDBIRDS-thunderbirds-THUNDERBIRDS-thunderbirds-THUNDERBIRDS-thunderbirds-**

"Hey Virge, do you remember what mid-terms the Sprout took today?" Scott inquired of his younger brother.

"Uhm, let me think… was it his World History and Algebra II?" Virgil Tracy answered, not even looking up from his music on his Grand Piano.

"That sounds right. I'm going to go and call him. He was really upset about his Algebra exam; you know how he's not very good with numbers." Scott said, closing the conversation. He didn't like to bother Virge when he was playing the piano. Like swimming for Gordon, running for Alan or star-gazing for John, it was his way of relieving stress. "_After that rescue in the Andes last night, I'll bet he needs it"_

Sitting down in his father's office, Scott called his little brother. After several rings, Fermat answered the video-call.

"H-Hello Scott!" Fermat greeted, as his picture appeared onto Scott's screen. It was obvious that Fermat had just gotten into the dorm room, as his nose was still tinted a bright red and he was still bundled up in snow-related clothes.

"Hi Fermat, how are your exams going?" Scott asked, trying to make conversation with the young teen.

"W-well, I think th-that they are going well. I've b-b-been studying v-very hard."

"'Course you are. It's not really you I'm worried about." Scott said, thinking of his youngest brother. "Speaking of which, is Alan around?"

"S-s-sorry, you ju-just missed him." Fermat responded, while pushing his black-rimmed glasses back onto the bridge of his nose.

"Oh, well thanks Fermat. Do you think you could have him call me back whenever he gets in?" the dark-haired Tracy requested, to which Fermat agreed. "Okay, I'll let you get back to your studies now. Bye Fermat"

"B-B-bye Scott." Fermat countered, exiting the conversation.

"How's Alan doing?" The Tracy patriarch asked, as he entered the room, stopping to stand by his first-born son.

"Ahh, I don't know. He wasn't in his room. Fermat was, however. I only talked to him for a minute though." Scott answered, running his hands through his hair.

"Well, he should be in his room, studying for his exams… but then again, Alan's just a kid, and as you know, quite the free-spirit. We'll see how well that pays off later when we get his mid-term grades back. For now, it's time for lunch, son." Jeff Tracy remarked, trying to keep Scott's mind as ease.

The two oldest Tracys made their way to the dining area, where Gordon and Virgil were already waiting, err, arguing.

"That was so immature!" Virgil commented, loudly, to his younger brother, while throwing his hands up in the air, smelling noticeably of cherries. Virgil has evidently just gotten out of the shower, as his hair was still matted down with the wetness.

"Oh no. What did Goofy Gordon do now?" Scott asked sternly, dialing into his dad's personality for a moment.

"I didn't do anything!" Gordon laughed, holding onto his sides, which were hurting from all of his laughter.

"I find that very hard to believe." Their dad replied calmly, trying to think something that could bug Virgil enough to get him started on Gordon before lunch. Virgil, although not as calm as John, was known for being second in the calm-attitude industry. Usually is would take until at least dinnertime for Gordon to break Virgil of his patience. Although, Virgil did look quite… sticky.

"Dad, this AIR-HEAD, decided that it would be incredibly funny to put red Kool-Aid powder in my showerhead!" Virgil cried like a little five-year-old throwing a tantrum. "And not only that! Today he has already stuck a whole packet of paper inside my piano, so I would think it were out of tune, AND- he wrote 'Gordo wuz herr' in permanent marker on my bathroom mirror!"

Yup, it was pretty clear that Gordon Cooper Tracy had been up to a lot that morning. _"I'm starting to think that swimming isn't his way of relieving stress, but pranking."_ Scott thought sarcastically.

"You should have won a gold medal in pranking, little brother, not swimming." Scott retorted, after listening to Virgil rant and rave for another minute.

"Gordon, I think it's your turn to clean up after lunch, and dinner and, of course, breakfast tomorrow morning." Jeff said nonchalantly, sitting down to start on lunch. "Thank you Ohana."

"No problem, Mr. Tracy." The Malaysian woman answered, retreating in the kitchen while chuckling at the Tracys current circumstances.

"No, dad! It's Virgil's turn for lunch and Scott's turn for dinner! I only clean up after breakfast, remember?!" Gordon complained, also sounds very similar to a five-year-old. At that last remark Virgil, who had sat as far away from Gordon as possible, glared at him.

"No, Gordon, I didn't forget. Trust me on this one… it's your turn." He laughed, thinking of how his red-head would probably never stop pranking, even when he was about ninety years old.

Suddenly, Kyrano came into the dining room, looking quite upset.

"What's wrong, Kyrano?" Jeff questioned, also suddenly feeling quite uneasy. He then turned to Gordon as to say "_you better not have anything to do with this…"_

"Mr. Tracy… Wharton Academy is on the phone. There seems to have been an accident, involving Alan."

All the forks at the table dropped, all chewing and banter ceased. At once, almost in complete unison, all of the Tracy's raced to their Dad's office, hoping that what they feared most hadn't become a reality.

**A/N: Sorry, I know that was mean. The next chapter will be longer! I just have somewhere to be in a couple hours, so I wanted to post this before. Be expecting an update sometime before next week! (I have a half-day Thursday and Friday off due to my own mid-terms!) Anyways, consider this a birthday gift from me to you! Well, not really. I mean my HALF birthday was Friday! I'm now 15 and a half! Only 6 months to a car and a license! That's pretty cool, huh? *crickets* Okay, maybe not. Just review, okay? **

**Love, Van! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: ****Hello fellow fanfic-ers! I just wanted to let you know that after this update the story WILL be moved to the "Movies" category! *I don't wanna get harassed or anything for not doing it!* **

**Sorry for the late update- with exams and everything I've been pretty busy, and then my friends and I hung out the last few days, relieving stress and all. :D I am only home right now because in the midst of everything I seem to have gotten a nasty throat infection- bummer. In case you were wonder, someone asked if I was planning on killing Alan- **

**Thunderincrimson****- NOnononono! I would NEVEREVEREVER kill Alan! EVER! Or any of the main characters for that matter! **

**Thanks for all of the reviews, they really encouraged me. :D. Yayayayayy! And now, the story: **

"Mr. Tracy… Wharton Academy is on the phone. There seems to have been an accident, involving Alan."

All the forks at the table dropped, all chewing and banter ceased. At once, almost in complete unison, all of the Tracy's raced to their Dad's office, hoping that what they feared most hadn't become a reality.

The sprint to his office seemed to last an eternity. Scott leading his brothers and their father bringing up the rear, Kyrano, in all of his years serving the Tracys, hundreds of dangerous and important missions, had never seen the Tracys look so worried and moved so fast.

"Headmaster Van Oosterhout!" Scott panted, as he reached the control desk. Observing his younger brother's principal so that he could get an idea of the situation.

"Mr. Scott Tracy" The headmaster nodded. He had an obvious look of anxiety; his mustache falling over his lips, with the corners twitching. His eyes, that were normally beady and narrow and become suddenly large and deep brown. Scott even had to notice the serious wrinkle marks that had been apparent before, but could no longer be ignored. "Is your father, by any chance--?"

"Right here, Headmaster." Jeff said firmly, trying to keep calm, though his father-instincts keeping a strong hold on his logic. With his three sons, filing out of the way, he was able to stand directly in front of the video screen. He refused to sit, as his nerves were definitely getting the better of him.

"Mr. Tracy, there has been an accident involving some of the students here at Wharton's," Van Oosthout paused, if anything for dramatic effect. "and I'm deeply sorry to inform you, but your young Alan is one of those students." Tension clung to the air.

"Sir, what _kind_ of accident?" Virgil intercepted, his own anxiousness killing him.

"Yeah, like, did he happen to set your lab on fire?" Gordon laughed, trying to murder all the tension and anxiety, though it wasn't working. The mood was unwilling to lighten, even for one of Gordon's jokes.

"There seems to have been a car accident-" With that short little phrase, all of the Tracy men became even more uneasy, to the point where Gordon even felt a bit nauseous. "As you may know, it's been snowing quite heavily, and the roads have been quite slippery, what with the black ice and all." Ahh, yes, black ice, the worst kind; black ice is most dangerous because unlike regular ice, this kind is completely clear and you don't know that you are even on ice until it's too late.

The Tracy's faces were visibly begging for more information, although some faces were unsure if they really wanted to know more, if they could handle anymore. For the sake of their baby brother, they pressed on.

"Can you tell us anything else, headmaster?" Jeff asked, hoping with all threads of his being that the accident was a minor one.

"I'm afraid that at this point I don't know much else. All I do know is that the three boys involved were taken to the local hospital. The car, as I have heard, was not in any good condition- completely totaled. Personally, I think its best that you wait until I have more information on Alan's condition." He faked a smile.

"No, that won't do, I'll be flying there right away. Thank you for the notification, Headmaster, I'll be seeing you sometime soon." Jeff replied sternly. _"Yeah right, I'm going and nothing, not even the most vital IR mission could keep me from seeing my son!"_

The two said their goodbyes, and immediately Jeff turned around, walking swiftly out of his office. His face was a face of sheer determination and fatherly concern. With little information to go by, he had much to worry about. A number of things could be wrong with his dear son, no one had given him the information necessary to deny anything serious, and that was frightening enough.

"Dad!" Scott called after his father, who had already taken a good head start down the hall. "Dad! I want to come with you!" His brothers were nodding behind him, each wanting to accompany their father back to mainland.

"Boys, I can't have all of you with me, someone needs to stay behind in case IR is needed." Jeff began, thinking reasonably. "What if there were a forest fire, an earthquake? I can't have just two men on the field."

"Dad, please, I can go, and if it's not serious then I'll come back right away!" Scott said, pleading. As much as he thought of Alan as his little brother, he was also something more. Scott had been the one to take care of him when his father went into his state of vacuity after his mom died. He needed to at least know that his brother wasn't in any severe risk; it was his job to know.

"Okay," Jeff capitulated, "but I'm sorry Gordo, Virgil, you'll have to stay behind and man International Rescue." His face softened as their faces fell. "I'll call to keep you updated though." He then gave them a nod of the head, and without words said _"If something is really wrong, I'll call and we'll shut-down IR."_

The Hood's attack was still fresh in everyone's mind. They had been brought so much closer that day, but not without a price. They all realized the very real fear of losing another. Alan's behavior, although not free of teen angst, had become remarkably more positive and the family had relished that more than anything. Scott, John, Virgil and Gordon had promised him that they would try to keep him involved in things as so he wouldn't feel left behind as much, and they all, without his knowledge, vowed to protect him. The thought that he almost died on several occasions that day had really scared them.

Jeff knew that he pushing Tracy One's engine harder then he ever allowed, but some little voice in head, that he knew to be his paternal instinct, was saying "faster, he needs you, faster!"

Scott had never been frozen with fear before. He was always the one who took charge in a difficult situation. In fact, he thrived under pressure and stress, but this, this was something new. He had to keep himself from thinking. Every time his thoughts would wander to the ghastly state his little brother could be in, he would zone out and freeze up. He had to stay strong, he had to thrive- this was the most important time to do so.

The two oldest Tracy's flew in relative silence, each consumed in thought. Both were being driven by sheer determination. The only time that they had spoken was when John called, having heard the news from Virgil and Gordon.

"Thunderbird Five to Tracy One, come in."

"Five, John, did they relay the news?" Scott answered, suddenly remembering how well his voice functioned.

"Yeah, I tried calling the headmaster to see if there was any more information he could give us, but he wasn't there, his secretary answered, and as you might have guessed, knew even less then he did." Usually John was cool and collective under all situations, but Jeff and Scott had to wince as they saw John get as close to freaking out as he had ever.

"Yes, well, as soon as we have more information, son, we'll give you a heads-up. Our ETA is approximately twelve minutes, and we've already cleared landing with the airport in Boston."

"Thanks, dad. I guess I'll talk to you two later then, huh? Remember first moment you know, call me!" John rushed.

"We will" they answered in perfect uniform, signing off.

Once Tracy One had landed, Jeff and Scott immediately took off once more, renting a car. Without wasting a single moment they drove to Valor General Hospital. This time however, Gordon and Virgil called as to let them know that the press had already gotten wind of Alan's car accident, and to not be surprised if they were plagued with reporters the second they parked in the Hospital's lot.

They were completely right. The very instant that Jeff and Scott were seen exiting their car, the reporters made a wild dash to the two wealthy recluses. Some were straight to the point asking things like "Was Alan driving?" or "Will there be an open-funeral if needed?" While other reports took the more sycophant route, first buttering them up by saying things like "Mr. Tracy, you are one of the wealthiest men alive, how are you taking this?" or even "Your business has really boomed, but how will this affect you?"

Either way, as fast as they could, the Tracy's ran into the hospital, leaving most of the gutless reporters behind, with only a small number of truly supercilious reporters brave enough to enter the busy hospital. Each reporter was settled on getting there own piece of succulent information.

However, a doctor appeared with a quite stern face, not to mention two security guards. The doctor, whose name badge identified him as "Dr. Gushiken," demanded the press leave willingly, or, if necessary, by force.

Turning to the Tracy's the audacious doctor introduced himself.

"Sorry for the media, Mr. Tracy." he began "I'm Dr. Gushiken, and I'm the leading doctor in charge of your son's care."

"Jeff, please, and this is my oldest son, Scott. I'm sorry if I'm jumping the gun, but I would really like some solid information on my son's condition." Jeff said hurriedly, not wanting to wait any longer. The suspense of the last few hours was really bringing him to a point of breaking.

"Let's step into my office first; I wouldn't want any more information getting its way out." Dr. Gushiken suggested, already making a fast pace down the hall, the Tracy's right behind him.

Once they entered the small room, Dr. Gushiken directed them to sit down. He went behind his solid oak desk, sat down and took in a deep breath.

"Jeff, Scott…" the doctor began, making full eye contact, "Alan was in quite a dangerous accident. The car that they students were in was not shielded- it was simply a convertible, with no top for support. The car, as witnesses have confirmed, was going quite fast, about 75 or 80 miles." The two Tracys exchanged glances, now, 75 miles is fast, but with this type of weather, it's downright dangerous. "Two other cars came up to the Alan's, one raced ahead, the other tail-gated behind. The car in front suddenly slowed, and the convertible couldn't stop in time, the sudden breaking caused a spin-out, tipping the car upside down."

The looks on Jeff and his oldest son were devastating. Their hearts had nearly stopped, but now their hearts were racing, palpitating with horror.

"The driver died almost instantly. Since the car had no top there was nothing to protect the students. The student riding in the passenger seat is currently undergoing an invasive surgery. Alan, however, was luckiest. He broke both legs, his left in three different places. He hit his head fairly hard and was sent unconscious. It appears as though he as a concussion, that we'll be watching carefully for the next 48 hours at least. His right wrist is currently mildly fractured- it should heal quickly. He also sprained a rib, though it didn't damage any organs, and has several lacerations. Witnesses say that Alan managed to escape any more serious damage because he ducked in time, so that when the car flipped over, he wasn't falling head first, though it appears his legs took the hit. We've already lined them back up, though he will have to go through some pain and effort to walk again, which I can say is almost guaranteed." Dr. Gushiken finished.

It was a lot to take in. Alan had been through a lot. Both Tracy's were jovial that their baby would live, but at the same time they were frantic.

"_Okay, okay, let's see: two broken legs, one mildly fractured wrist, one sprained rib, and a concussion_… _that's about it."_ Scott thought to himself, trying to make it feel like less then it was.

"Can we see him?" Jeff asked out loud, while saying a private prayer in thanks.

"Of course, right this way." The doctor replied with a sincere smile. The doctor led the two to hospital room 204. He's right in there. I'll let you have some privacy. He has been given his own room due to privacy concerns." He said warmly, as walked away.

"Go ahead dad, you can go in first, I'm going to call the boys and let them know what going on." The younger Tracy said to the older, as he took out his cell phone. Jeff smiled a small smile at his son in gratitude. He remembered just then what a tremendous help his son was in these situations. Scott had always been there for him when things went wrong.

"Thanks, Scott, and just so you know, you may stay here for a while longer to help me look after Alan." Jeff answered, really saying, _"Thanks for coming with me, Scott, I really need you." _

At the same time, Scott was dreading the phone calls. He couldn't even fathom the kinds of reactions his brothers would have. Would they be pleased that the Sprout would be alright, happy that he was able to survive such an accident? Or would they be solemn and anxious for his condition, which was currently unconsciousness, and with more broken bones then whole ones? He didn't know, but he called anyways, and the familiar ringing filled his ear.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! This week'll be busy, but I'm going to attempt to write another chapter before next week. What with play rehearsals, youth group, MAD group, cell groups, work and honors homework, I probably won't be able to update until Friday or Saturday. **

**REVIEW! REVIEW! **

**Love, Van! **


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